Earthquake in Turkey: soccer player Christian Atsu found dead

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Professional footballer Christian Atsu, here in 2019 in a Newcastle United jersey

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Adam Davy/AP

The 31-year-old Christian Atsu, who has been missing since the earthquake disaster in the Turkish-Syrian border region, is dead, as his advisor confirmed.

"It is with a heavy heart that I must announce to all who wish that Christian Atsu's body was recovered this morning," his agent Nana Sechere tweeted on Saturday.

“My deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their prayers and support.«

Several local media had previously reported the footballer's death with reference to Atsu's manager.

Murat Uzunmehmet told the DHA news agency that Atsu's body was recovered from under the rubble in the southern Turkish province of Hatay.

“We discovered his lifeless body.

His belongings are still being taken out.

His phone was also found,” Uzunmehmet told the DHA.

Initially, it was erroneously reported that Atsu could be recovered alive, which was confirmed by the Ghana Football Association (GFA), among others.

However, this message turned out to be wrong, there had apparently been a mix-up with the rescued person.

Atsu's body has now been found in the rubble of the collapsed 12-storey Rönesans Residence in Antakya in Hatay province, which was particularly badly hit by the quake.

The collapse of the building had caused particular outrage in online media: The residence with luxury apartments was built in 2013 - the same year in which the Turkish authorities issued stricter building regulations following the devastating 1999 earthquake that killed 17,000 people.

Four days after the quake, Turkish police arrested Mehmet Yasar Coskun, the contractor responsible for the high-rise building, at Istanbul Airport when he tried to flee to Montenegro.

Atsu, a former player for Premier League clubs Chelsea FC and Newcastle United, joined Hatayspor from the Turkish Süper Lig in September.

The club comes from the city of Antakya near the Turkish-Syrian border.

The day before the disaster, the 60-time international had scored the winning goal for his team against Kasimpasa to make it 1-0.

Since the 7.8 magnitude earthquake on Monday last week, the death toll in Turkey and neighboring Syria has risen to over 41,000.

According to Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay, rescue work in the region is ongoing.

ara/sid/AFP